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Topic: hundreds of tubes! |
Ben Godard
From:
Jamesville NC
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Posted 27 Mar 2013 6:56 pm |
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My grandpa passed away a few years ago and he was a radio/TV and appliance dealer and repair man. His barn is filled with old TV's and mostly radios all tube. Most of this I believe is dated between the years of the 30's to late 50's.
I have been given this barn by my mother now and I am cleaning it up to make a workshop out of it. I don't want to throw away all this stuff but I don't know what to do with it.
Most of this equipment was never fixed and that's why it stayed in the barn. Also, I don't know how over 50 years of time, humididty, and temperature, affect tubes or other electronics.
I was just wondering if anhy of this stuff may be of any value. |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2013 7:44 pm
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Best bet is to post pictures... most will be junk, some will be real keepers. Take pictures of all of it, close-ups of the tubes in boxes so we can read the numbers... you may have some $100 tubes, maybe not.
_________________
New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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Larry Bressington
From:
Nebraska
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Posted 27 Mar 2013 7:44 pm
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Don't throw it away whatever you do!!!!
There are people out there that restore that stuff ala 'Vintage wireless' company etc... Give it time to research preferably stateside and Americana collectors etc. Here's one that i know of in the homeland just to give you an idea....I used to work for a bloke when i was a 14 years that used to travel all over the world to collect these type things and resale them as a full time business, like Russia, China, Australia etc etc.
Don't expect a lot for it, it's more of a historical thing than anything else, a bit like Steel guitar, we make 100's of Dollars per 'YEAR' 
http://www.vintagewirelesslondon.co.uk/Catalog.html
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A.K.A Chappy. |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 2:22 am
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| I've bought many thousands of tubes from similar circumstances, and I've found that often times you have to sift through several hundred oddball/ obsolete (usually TV) tubes to find one good usable type. It's worth it though. I suggest that you get a list of desirable tubes from someplace that buys them like Antique Electronics. There are only a handfull of tube types used for guitar and hi-fi amps but there are many types used for other applications that can also be quite valuable. Don't sell yourself short, most of your tubes are probably worthless, but there are bound to be some gems in there too. |
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Ben Godard
From:
Jamesville NC
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 3:03 am
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First of all, All of these tubes ar not in boxes. They are used of course and are inside each radio and TV.
I have a question, If I pull out all the tubes, wouldn't that mix match tube sets. I kno a lot of times tubes come in matched pairs. I guess if someone has a tube tester and oscilloscope designed to check characterictic curves it. then they could match up tubes that way. Not sure.
I will take some pictures but it may be a couple days before I put them up. |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 7:02 am
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matching is really only useful for audio applications like high power amplifiers
some TVs used 6V6 tubes - keep an eye out for those!
TV and Radio circuits are vastly different than guitar amplifier circuits. There are going to be some oddball tubes in there for sure. Without their boxes and used, they will not be worth as much
that said, you never know what you'll find and who might be looking for that one tube that you may have. Collectors are willing to pay a price for something rare
_________________
Milkmansound.com |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 8:53 am
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It's not just tubes either! There could be some cool radios in there too. Maybe some of those great Philco TVs. Guys buy the Philco Predicta TVs and put new color TV guts in them. Plastic radios are collectable, and some are quite valuable.
http://www.predicta.com/index.shtml
Don't screw up and be hasty! Take your time, and do some research. Talk to people. |
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Greg Cutshaw
From:
Corry, PA, USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 11:11 am
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I always wanted a guitar amp with 6LQ6's and 6BQ5's (not)! How'd any of us ever live through working on high voltage circuits? There's an engineer here in my town that has over 500 NOS tubes in boxes in his basement, stored in order for easy access. Lot's of basements and tube caddy's left with tubes yet to be discovered. Most of the consumer equipment I've inherited had tubes so old and used up that the lettering was wore off. Not sure who would want to risk using used tubes in a guitar amp. Until you power them on, let them heat up, and use them for a few hours, you wouldn't know if they were any good.
Greg |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 11:58 am
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| I had a friend who was an organ repair guy. Gave me a lot of pulls. Haven't had one go bad yet. GZ34s, Tungsol 5881s, Telefunken, Amperex, Mullard. But, being from organs, they were never probably pushed very hard. Most came out of rec rooms, living rooms, so they were never played loud. Gotta lot of wonderful old Jensen speakers from him too. |
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Len Amaral
From:
Rehoboth,MA 02769
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 11:59 am
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| There are people that post on CL in my area with lots of tubes and I inquire to see if there are any 6L6, 12ax7, 12at7, 12au7, or any other standard tubes for amps and it's rare to find any. Also, the sellers want to sell the whole lot and not just a few that I could use. |
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Blake Hawkins
From:
Florida
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Posted 28 Mar 2013 7:10 pm
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With over 30 years of antique radio collecting, restoring, and repairing, I agree with those who have urged caution.
I have bought several radio shops that had closed.
Most of the "pulls" were bad. The radios there were usually the "dogs" that the repairman could not fix or the repair was so expensive that the customer would not pick it up.
However, also as noted above there may be some hidden treasures among the junk.
Contact the president of a nearby antique radio club.
There is a very active group in Charlotte.
Also the Antique Wireless Association, and Antique Radio Classified. All have websites.
It is true that many old used power tubes will not perform well in a guitar amplifier. At one point, I had about 40 6V6-GT tubes pulled from car radios.
All checked good on a tube tester. Not one of them
would work in a guitar amp. (In an old radio where they were not pushed they were ok and that is where I used them.) |
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Jim Bates
From:
Alvin, Texas, USA
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Posted 29 Mar 2013 6:13 am
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ALSO, look for unused capacitors, resistors, transformers, pots, knobs, and switches - all of which have value to someone restoring old electronic gear. I currently have an old 1940's vintage Gibson amp being restored. It needs three old style, brown, plastic knobs - still looking for those.
Thanx,
Jim |
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Ben Godard
From:
Jamesville NC
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Posted 31 Mar 2013 1:34 pm
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Well I have just gotten the barn cleaned up this weekend. IT took me three months to get both the top and bottom floors cleaned out. When I get some time I will try to start to sort out what I have and see if there any usable tubes.
It may be a while before I can get back to it. But eventually I will post some pics on this post. |
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Ben Godard
From:
Jamesville NC
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Posted 19 Apr 2013 4:57 pm
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Here are some pictures of my barn with all these tubes. I have found all types of tubes, small and large. Quite a few 12Au7's so far. I plan to write down all these tube numbers so I can sort through which ones are any use. I also need to get a tube checker.
 [/img] |
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Daniel Policarpo
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Posted 20 Apr 2013 4:52 am
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| A bunch of 12Au7 is a pretty good sign! That's a nice looking barn, judging from the loft. |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 20 Apr 2013 9:10 pm
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| 12AU7 is a big favorite for the audiophile set, lots of tube stereos use them. |
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